


Accidental Intentional Criminal

by Desssssssssshh (Qarma)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake AH Crew, Oops you're dragged into some shit, Some fluff bc it runs in my blood, Tension like a lot of it, i'll add more tags as i go on, you have some issues, you're not a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-08 08:45:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17383391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qarma/pseuds/Desssssssssshh
Summary: In a city like Los Santos, where crime was as normal and constant as ever, I shouldn't even be surprised that something just came crashing into my bedroom window at 3 am in the morning.--One. I'm just another troubled individual living in the problematic city of Los Santos.Two. A criminal landed in my home.Three. I'm the newest addition to the infamous criminal gang, The Fakes.Four. I'm not good at what they do.Five. They're trying to keep me alive.Six. Things are getting complicated between me and...Seven. He's an asshole.Eight. ..........





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is- I wrote more of this than I should have.
> 
> Initially, i wasn't planning on posting this, but I wrote A LOT of pages that i thought I should share at least chapter one. hahahaha fuckkk
> 
> Only 1 chapter for now but I'll add chapters depending on the feedback. will keep this going if people are interested.  
> //thetitledoesn'tmakesenserightnowbutpleasejustignorethatfornowhahahahahaaaaaa  
> /////i actually do sleep with a knife next to me idk im weird

 

After a hard day of work, sleeping was all I fantasized about on my way home. It wasn’t easy working at a bank. Thinking about sleep was better than thinking about how tired I was. Or how much I secretly hate my job. Everything. Nothing was better than some well deserved rest right now.

 

In a city like Los Santos, where crime was as normal and constant as ever, I shouldn't even be surprised that something just came crashing into my bedroom window at 3 am in the morning.

 

I bolt upright, instinctively glancing at my clock that told me I had been asleep for about 4 hours until this thing woke me up.

 

No, wait. It just moved. Shit, it's a person.

 

I swallowed hard, slowly grabbing the knife I kept under my pillow, thankful for my paranoia. (Yeah. I'm THAT person.)

 

The intruder groans in pain and despite the darkness enveloping us both, with only a bit of illumination from the moon, I knew we were making eye contact.

 

The dark figure struggled to stand but did anyway. He motioned slowly for something on his belt. It didn't take me long to figure out he was pulling out a gun.

 

Fear rattled my bones and my arms moved on their own to defend myself. I grabbed the lamp on my nightstand and chucked it towards them.

 

The porcelain breaks after fortunately hitting them square on the face and I run for the door.

 

My heart almost leapt out of me when I was snatched back by my shirt. I have zero experience or training with combat other than all the action films I would randomly watch when it was on TV. In a daze of panic, I went along with the direction of their pull and tackled them backwards to the floor.

 

I’m not strong. Not at all. But maybe the intruder was caught off guard, seeing a limp french fry fight back, that he lost his balance. I cursed in my head for forgetting to take my knife.

 

My back was pressed on their chest and I might have hit something bad for them judging by the groans of pain they let out.

 

I rolled over, pushed myself up on the bed and ran for the exit again. He was slower to move this time and I was able to smack the light switch by my doorway before I headed to my living room.

 

I looked back.

 

In my room, right by the door frame, was a large man hunched over, wearing a black skull mask. He was wearing a black and blue leather jacket with white stripes sitting on his biceps. He wore jeans that looked tight yet he was able to move around them and finally, boots that was spreading dirt all over my carpet.

 

I quickly surveyed the room for anything to defend myself with but figured that I should just go for the door. And that I did.

 

“Stop right there.” A deep threatening voice pierced through the darkness. I halted on my heels and refused to look back.

 

I could almost hear him breathe heavily through the mask. I unconsciously matched it with my own frantic pants.

 

“Do as I say or I'll blow your brains out.” He commanded and I slowly nodded. Assuming he had a gun pointed at me, I wasn't gonna be stupid and go off running.

 

He clicks his tongue and I heard him take steps farther. The shattered remains of my lamp crunched under his boots. I stayed where I was but my idiocy took over and I decided it was a good idea to look back.

 

He went inside my room, to the hole he made on my window. He cautiously looked out and only now do I realize that there were sirens in the distance. It was pretty normal though so maybe my mind just automatically tuned it out.

 

He walks over back to where I was and before I could pretend that I hadn't moved a muscle, he looks at me and points his gun at me again. My breath hitches and my sweat runs cold.

 

“If you have some kind of med kit, bring it out.”

 

“Wha--”

 

“Now.” He said in a louder voice that sent chills down my spine. I hurriedly walked past him and back into my room where my bathroom was. I went over to my sink and looked around for what he wanted. Who kept a fucking med kit in their house anyway?

 

I grabbed some rubbing alcohol, cotton and a box of band-aids.

 

I turned around and was expecting to meet the cold barrel of a gun but was fortunately wrong. He stood before me and I glanced at his mask, catching sight of a bright blue shimmer through the eyeholes.

 

He stepped back to let me through, as he was blocking the doorway out, and cocks his head toward the bed. I walk over to it and sit on the side assuming that was what he wanted me to do. He settles next to me.

 

“Look, I'm sorry, I don't like hurting women, all right? Just help me out here and no one will get hurt.” He says in a tone much kinder than what he opened with before. The tension I felt lessens but I kept my guard up.

 

I nodded. “What do you want me to do?” I was successful with trying to stop my voice from shaking. But I knew he was aware of how scared I was.

 

“I have a bullet wound here,” he pats around on his left shoulder and winced when he found where it was. “Take the bullet out.”

 

My eyes widened. “Wait, what the fuck, I can't do that! I can't just reach in and--”

 

“Use god damn tweezers. You're a girl, I'm sure you have one.” Indeed I do.

 

“And let you get blood all over it?”

 

“Have you forgotten I have a gun?”

 

“Yes, I did. I'll get the damn tweezers.” I said. I honestly did forget. I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to blood or anything gorey. “You could also just do this on your own.”

 

“It’s too close to see, especially with my mask on.” he replied, sounding impatient.

 

I went back to my sink and got my tweezers. I made a face of nausea at the thought of removing a bullet from fresh flesh.

 

I sat back next to him. “Okay, let's do this, Skull Mask.” I huffed a couple of breaths out. He looked back at me through the mask.

 

“Well? Take off your shirt or something.” I said, eager to get this done. Suddenly my life getting threatened wasn't scaring me anymore. He slides his jacket off and looked down on himself, probably thinking the same thing I was.

 

“Maybe take off the mask first?” I asked.

 

“No.” He said flatly and whips out a knife.

 

“Woaahhh there, you don't have to take it so far. Keep the shirt on if you’re so insecure.”

 

He didn't say anything but judging by the quick glance he made towards me, he probably rolled his eyes.

 

In one swift movement, he slides the blade through his black shirt and takes the shred of cloth off of himself.

 

His body wasn't muscular but I could tell he was active by how toned he was. He had patches of blood on his torso and a lot of red was coming from the bullet wound I had to take care of. I've never seen a bullet wound up close before and it made me squirm. I would have gazed longer if it weren’t for that.

 

I took the bottle of rubbing alcohol and my tweezers. “Wait, I have to wash my hands first.” I jumped up. Yes, I'm stalling. The tweezers drop on the bed and the alcohol rolls off under my nightstand.

 

“God, why? Just get on with it.” He says, exasperated.

 

“Yeah, I should just let you die of infection for breaking my window and waking me up.” I headed towards the sink and lather my hands with soap.

 

He sighs, maybe contemplating if he should just shoot me. He bends down and reaches for the bottle that I dropped.

 

*bang*

 

My head jerked over to look at what made that sound. I see Skull Mask with a hand on the back of his head and holding the alcohol with the other. He looks at me.

 

I pursed my lips, trying to hold in my laughter, but I knew I was already visibly smiling.

 

“What’s so funny?”

 

I dried my hands and closed my eyes trying not to repeat the sight in my head. “I’m sorry, but you look so fucking stupid. You're shirtless with a Halloween mask on and you just bonked your head on my nightstand.” I was already giggling.

 

“I should just kill you now.”

 

“Something tells me you won't.” I said, sounding cocky, but still afraid that he would.

 

I face the inevitable and take the tweezers, trembling when I felt the softness of flesh through the metal as I plunged it into his wound. I looked away and dry heaved, he sighs and tells me I was being over-dramatic.

 

To my discomfort, I had to deepen my tool and he winced when I did. I almost apologized, but the asshole made me do this. I felt the bullet, finally, but something in me pushed the relief away. I felt strange. Instead of pulling the bullet out, I looked at Skull Mask and pushed the tiny metal tweezers a little deeper, making him groan. I saw his eyes shut through the eyeholes and I had to stop myself from smiling.

 

I realize what was running in my head and just finished what I was doing.

 

“Jesus Christ.” I said under my breath, looking at the extracted bullet covered in blood. Before he could say anything else I put some alcohol on a cotton ball and dabbed it onto the open flesh. I have no idea what I'm doing.

 

A repressed hiss escaped his lips. His chest rose and fell as I kept on cleaning the wound.

 

I looked at the pile of things I got from my bathroom and realized I didn't have anything to patch the injury up.

 

“Uhh, I don't have any bandages, but I do have these.” I show him my band-aids with cartoon designs on them.

 

He frowned under the mask. “You’re shitting me. What are you, three? These have cats on them.”

 

“What? Some of them have dogs.” I retorted.

 

In defeat, he let me use them. The band-aids were too small for the bullet hole so I just used them to secure a cotton ball onto it. This probably wasn't right, but who cares.

 

He takes his jacket, slips it on as he stood up and I might've heard him mutter a “Thanks” as he did so. Or I could just be imagining things.

 

He takes his gun out again, but I wasn't afraid anymore.

 

“Who the hell are you?”

 

He looked at me and he seemed to be smiling by the look on his eyes. “You really think I’d tell you?”

 

“You’re in my home and I don't even know anything about you other than you're a cock and you owe me for my window.”

 

“Sucks for you.” He says, smug.

 

“Wow, thanks, asshole.” I mutter.

 

“What, do you want something in return?” He asked in a deeper voice, almost mockingly.

 

My eyes instinctively fall down to his exposed torso, because I'm pretty sure I’ve heard that line from a porn skit before. He must have noticed and he chuckled.

 

“Oh, I see.” He takes a few steps closer and I step back to keep our distance. “I think I know where you're getting at.”

 

I froze as I hit a wall behind me. “What the hell are you talking about?” I kept my tone firm.

 

“Do you want some kind of reward?” He says in a seductive tone. “I’m fine with that.”

 

“No, I don't. Can you stop?” I said, feeling weird and fully aware of the warm feeling on my cheeks.

 

I frowned at him as he propped himself up with his hand to the wall. “Are you sure? I think you deserve something for being a good girl.” He slid his free hand down my arm in a teasing manner.

 

What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

 

“No, buddy. I just want you out of my room.”

 

He doesn't say anything. I could feel him moving closer but then he snaps away.

 

“Suit yourself.”

 

He walks away from me and turns to face my broken window.

 

With a final wave of his hand, he jumps off through the shattered glass and disappears into the night.

 

Now, I’m not sure what to make of this. I almost died and the fucker had the nerve to flirt. If that even counts as flirting.

 

“Bye, dickhead.” I said to myself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one asked for this

A silent beep grew louder and took me away from my slumber. I forced my eyes open and looked at my clock. I definitely didn't get enough sleep.

 

I slowly sat up, careful not to move too much, and remembered what happened last night.

 

Some cock crashed into my window, threatened me with a gun and then made me clean up his injury. Yeah, I guess if I say it to myself like that, it doesn't sound real.

 

I was willing to let myself think that I was hallucinating but when I saw what was left of my lamp and the dirt marks on my carpet, which turned out to be dried blood, I knew that what I wanted was impossible.

 

I didn't bother cleaning out my carpet now. I'm female. Cleaning up blood is my expertise. But I did bother with the broken porcelain because the last thing I need right now is to have my foot cut by the shards.

 

I should probably call the cops and report what happened. But when I remembered that this was fucking Los Santos, I decided to either get some kind of evidence first or not report it at all. Long story short, there's a reason why Los Santos is a city of crime. The cops aren't exactly ‘all good and ready’. With the amount of shit going on in the city, cops just don’t care anymore and the ones that do die of gunshot wounds or worse.

 

I showered and got dressed in my uniform. I will never ever like wearing a skirt but unfortunately, working at a bank requires me to do so.

 

My day went by like how it normally would. I’m not a teller and am not required to talk to people, which is great, but I’m always loaded with paperwork that I have to settle alone. This place is one of the few banks left that hadn't been robbed in Los Santos so I felt safe at the moment. I probably jinxed it now though.

 

Working overtime wasn't new to me but for this shift, I felt like I was dying of exhaustion. I just wanted to finish work, get home, sleep and do it all over again. It sounds really depressing, yeah, I know.

 

My co-workers already went home and I was left alone with a guard who was meant to stay a couple of hours past closing. I shared the office with other people so I appreciate the silence and isolation.

 

I buried myself in the things I had to get done. I was so fucking tired that at some point, my eyes give in to the dim glow of my lamp, that was the only thing left giving me light, and I set my head down on a stack of papers. Fuck it.

  
  
  


I probably was not meant to sleep peacefully anymore.

 

I’m not sure how much time passed but I was still groggy when I heard a noise from outside my office.

 

I weakly stood up from my seat, stretched as far as I could and warily approached my blinded window. It was dark as expected and I looked around harder for anything only to find the guard sprawled across the tiled floor.

 

A cold chill ran down my spine and my first thought was to take my knife out.

 

The knife I left at home. Shit.

 

I crouched down hoping no one noticed and slowly crept to my desk. I thought about turning my lamp off but it probably wouldn't be a smart choice if anyone notices.

 

Fuck trying to figure out what's going on. I already had a life-threatening situation last night, the best thing to do would be to successfully escape.

 

I figured walking in heels probably made too much noise so I took the damn things off and shoved them in my duffel bag. (Corporate attire plus duffel bag, yes. Because who likes handbags?)

 

I crawled on all fours, careful not to make a sound as I left my office. I managed to make my way towards the back door. I stood up, feeling secure that no one was there to see me. I confidently opened the door quickly so I could get out of here.

 

Four men in masks clutching guns stood in front of me and I felt all my blood drain out. Before I could react, two of them tackled me to the ground.

 

I don't know if I screamed but my throat felt dry. I thought this was probably it. This was how I was going to die. So long, cruel world. I will not be missing you.

 

“What’s going on?” A deep threatening voice yelled, making them all stop.

 

I shifted my head to look up and saw a familiar skull mask, illuminated by a nearby lamp post.

 

“You!” I cursed out.

 

The man froze and his companions shared a few glances. The other masked men stood up but one of them kept a boot on my back to hold me down.

 

“Don’t you fucking dare tell me that you forgot, Skull Mask.” I spat out. He didn't say anything.

 

“Uhh you broke my window? You harassed me?”

 

The masked men all seemed surprised and one of them puts a hand on where their mouth is supposed to be. Skull Mask probably recognized me by now.

 

“Woah there, I didn’t do anything to you.” He finally spoke.

 

“You know her?” One of the masked men asked. He looked shorter than the rest of them but definitely more built.

 

Skull Mask nods. “Remember when you fuckers left me last night?”

 

“We knew you'd be fine!” A man who had an accent defended.

 

“Not the point. When I fell from the chopper, I crashed into her place.”

 

The british man gasped. “You what?!”

 

“No, I literally crashed into her place. Like, I busted in through the window.”

 

“That sounds awesome.” The third man, who was stepping on my back, says.

 

I frowned at them listening in on their conversation. To me, they didn't sound like dangerous criminals. They sounded like high schoolers fucking around with guns. I wasn't that scared anymore, but mainly because of Skull Mask.

 

“Now, what do we do with you?” Skull Mask kneels down on one leg. He lifts my chin up with his hand.

 

“How about I collect that reward?” He doesn't move a muscle but it feels like I hit a button.

 

“Let me go.” I clarified before his head wanders into places it shouldn't be.

 

After I speak, a sixth masked man wearing a suit joins the group, rambling. “You dickheads.” Skull Mask stands up.

 

“What the hell happened to being sneaky?” He angrily puts a hand on his forehead in frustration.

 

“Thank this asshole, right here.” The shorter guy nudges the brit.

 

“You told me to walk over there!”

 

“Yeah but you should have checked if there was anyone there first!” The guy who had a foot on me yelled angrily, trying his best to keep his voice down.

 

“Idiot. Did you kill the guard?”

 

“No, you said no killing. Yet.”

 

“We can still save this. But the guard will probably warn security and we'll all be fucked over by all the precautions that'll welcome us tomorrow.” One of them spoke with the voice of a woman which caught me off guard. Looking at her silhouette, she did look more slender than the rest of the guys.

 

“Hhhhssshhh, Are you sure we should be talking about this in front of her?” The shorter one silenced her.

 

They simultaneously looked down on me. I swallowed seeing how scary they looked.

 

“I have an idea.” Skull Mask breaks the short silence.

 

“We can not kill her.” The suit guy interrupted, emphasizing ‘not’. “I said no killing yet.”

 

“Do we just take her with us?” Boot guy pressed his foot on me a little harder.

 

“No, listen to me alright?” Skull Mask said. He bends down to look at me again. “We can use her.”

 

“What d'you mean?” The brit asked.

 

Skull Mask looks back up at his comrades. “I mean, regardless if they put up precautions or not, she can help us disable them.”

 

“You’re insane. So we'll just let her go?” The woman said.

 

“This could work out, you know.” Suit man said.

 

“Care to help us, sweetheart?” Skull Mask turns his attention to me again. He brushed his hand on my temple.

 

“Quit touching me and don't fucking call me that, Skull Mask.” I growled. Something in me snaps and I felt a sudden wave of what I think is confidence or bravery.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

My heart beat rapidly as I said it. No, I have no idea what I'm saying. It just felt right. They all seemed surprised, even Skull Mask, judging by the silence.

 

The man in the suit walks closer to me and Skull Mask back away. “How can you assure us that we can trust you?” He looked down.

 

I smirked and looked at his gun. He huffed a laugh and gestured for the man stepping on me to let me go. I picked myself up off the ground as soon as his boot was off.

 

“As long as you promise me that I won't get hurt or get in trouble, I'll help you. I’m broke and I need this fucking job.”

 

“Sure. Better than asking for a cut.”

 

“I don't think it's ideal for unarmed me to ask that much of armed you.”

 

“Smart.” I could hear the smile in his tone. “I like this one.”

 

“I’m still skeptical about this.” The woman says. “This isn't a joke.”

 

“Yeah, what if she rats us out?” The brit reasoned.

 

“Six of us, one of her. And I know where she lives.” Skull Mask said, confidently.

 

“You said no killing?” I muttered.

 

“We will if we have to.” He replied.

 

I shrug. “What do I have to do?”

 

The guy in the suit stepped up again. “Do you know how to disable the alarms?”

 

“Not exactly. But I’ll figure it out or something.” I didn’t sound confident at all as I said it.

 

He sighed. “Shit. Well, alright. We'll figure this out. He'll be your contact,” he gestures towards Skull Mask. “You’ll get instructions from him. He'll get you a burner phone too while he's at it.”

 

“Damn, we're actually doing this.” The woman said. The suit guy shrugs. “Fuck it, right?”

 

“I’ll bring you the phone tonight. And further instructions.” Skull Mask says and I nod. “There’s still a hole in my window, so hey, be my guest.”

 

“Welcome to the heist.” Boot guy says.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update!!!! (I'll post the next one soon after proof reading)
> 
> Tumblr: realfakevagabond

Going home felt strange to me. What happened was bizarre and I couldn't figure out how one minute I was napping at work and the next I'm a mole for a criminal group's heist.

 

I felt nervous when people stared at me in the street. I felt like they knew something.

 

But at the same time, I felt dangerous. I felt alive. I wasn't really going to do anything extreme, but the feeling I’m getting in my chest felt like excitement and fear mixed together.

 

I made my way home. I checked the time on my phone. It was a little before 2 am in the morning.

 

I jumped when I saw someone lounging on my small couch.

 

“Jesus christ, Skull Mask.” I exhaled heavily.

 

I heard him chuckle and he stood up from where he sat.

 

“Here.” He takes out a tiny phone. It looked like it was pulled straight from 2003. I take it anyway.

 

“Come to work early tomorrow. Find a way to disable the alarms and contact me when you’ve done it. After the job, destroy the phone, just to be sure none of us will get caught.”

 

“What did you do to the guard?” I asked, curious. He shrugs. “Took him somewhere.”

 

I swallowed. “Is he dead?”

 

“Just tied up. People won’t look for him yet.”

 

I nod and opened the phone navigating to the contact list.

 

“Vagabond.” I read out. “Is that your name? Kinda corny isn't it?” I teased. He didn't say anything.

 

“Mind if I call you that instead? I'm kinda tired of calling you Skull Mask.”

 

“What makes you think you'll need to have a name to call me?” He asked.

 

“Nothing, really. But in the meantime I should have at least a name, asshole.” I retorted.

 

He seemed amused. He looked around and walks into my room then stops by the bed.

 

“Still don't want that reward?” He said in a playful tone.

 

I groaned, but I knew I was red. “Will you stop hitting on me? It's weird. Go jerk off in an alley or something.”

 

I couldn't see behind the mask, but I knew he smiled.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Don't fuck up.”

  
  
  


I sat on my desk clutching the burner phone. I looked at it nervously, knowing I wouldn't be getting a text until I sent one to Vagabond. I'm still in disbelief that those idiots trusted me.

 

I came to the office early as they instructed. There were a couple of guards already and none of my co-workers have arrived yet. Just as Vagabond said, the guard from last night wasn’t there anymore. The other guards did notice that he didn’t clock out, but brushed it off, thinking that he just forgot to do so.

 

When the coast was clear, I made my way to the security room. It was pretty early in the morning and the guards would normally be having breakfast in the small pantry we had at this time.

 

I snuck around and made sure to lock the door. What I turned to was a wall of screens and buttons that did… some things.

 

I stepped closer to inspect what I had to work with. The screens had live feed playing off of them via the security cameras we had littered in the bank. I stretched a finger out and pushed a button. Immediately, I knew I fucked up because one of the screens shut off. I panicked and pressed it again. I probably hit the wrong one because two more feeds went offline.

 

I was getting overwhelmed, cursing to myself, but saw a glimmer of hope. There was a device on the side with a few buttons on it. It looked familiar to me. It looked like the alarm systems homeowners would use. I don’t know why I had to overthink and make things complicated by assuming a bank would have used a different system. The tiny screen above the buttons said ‘Alarm enabled’. This looked easy enough, I thought. But that was just me trying to convince myself.

 

I was scared to push buttons and figured it’d be easier to figure shit out if i cracked it open. Did I think this through? At this point, do you think I’m a person who thinks things through?

 

I scratched my head when I was met with a bundle of wires. I could probably get electrocuted if I touched anything, but I was clueless.

 

I took the pen on my breast pocket and poked around in it. I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized the guards could come back anytime.

 

I held my breath, my heart racing like horses and clutched a bundle of wires,  ripping them out of the device.

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” I muttered with my eyes shut.

 

There was nothing. The alarms didn’t go off and a wave of relief passed through my nerves. The tiny screen shut off and I checked the main desk to see there was nothing out of the ordinary. Well, except for the feeds I turned off accidentally. I start smiling like a maniac. I feel really cool and badass but what the fuck did I just do?

 

This was not place to be celebrating my first crime so I put the plate I remove back on the device and left before anyone caught me.

 

I walked quickly and quietly back to the office. A co-worker had arrived and scared my guts out of my body when they greeted me. I simply waved back, trying to be inconspicuous.

 

Feeling safe in the comfort of my own desk, where piles of papers and folders sat, I pulled out the burner phone from my duffel bag.

 

_ I think I disabled the alarms. may have also knocked out a few cameras idk _

 

I hit send and waited. I figured Vagabond wouldn’t reply immediately so I put the phone away.

 

Not more than a minute later, as I held a stack of documents in my hands, the phone vibrates in my pocket. It sent a jolt straight to my heart and I breathed slowly to relax my nerves.

 

_ That was unnecessary but whatever. Can you guarantee the cops won't come? _

  
  


_ No, not really. I think I broke the alarm. Wasn’t sure if that did anything. _

 

I sent the message and half expected a reply of cuss words to be sent back to me.

 

A loud, deafening explosion makes me jump and I drop the phone from my hands. I bend down to pick it up and heard screaming from outside the office.

 

My co-worker grabs my arm and pulls me as she rushed outside. I didn't retaliate thinking I've had enough of life threatening situations for the week. If that was a bomb, I. am. out.

 

People were screaming, some of them crouched down and some of them ran towards the exit. I thought of doing the same when a group of masked men rushed into the bank with their guns held up.

 

The clients and staff all fell to the floor, quaking in fear. I felt afraid for a second but recognized their disguises. It’s really happening. It was all actually happening.

 

My co-worker pulled me down as we were all instructed to get on the ground. I noticed the alarms didn't go off like they should so that's good. I guess.

 

The masked men split up and three of them went to the back and the other three stayed here, demanding that cash be put in the bags that they had.

 

I looked for Vagabond but I guess he was one of the guys that went to the back.

 

My co-worker was shaking beside me, crying and praying. I did my best to calm her down.

 

A spray of bullets hit the glass doors of the bank and everyone screamed.

 

“Shit. Cops!” The woman in the group said.

 

“Hurry up, fuckers! The po-po is here!” One of them yelled out.

 

In no time at all, around fifteen cops come rushing in and fired bullets at them. How fucking reckless. The civilians kept their head down, hoping none of them would get hit.

 

The three robbers start firing off at the cops in retaliation until there was none left. I stared at the dead bodies that were pretty close to where we were. This wasn't good at all for my co-worker's mental state.

 

The three from the back come out, bags filled with money, and they regroup. They seem frantic and looked like they weren't paying much attention. Two of them bolt for the back door.

 

Those who were left surveyed the civilians and when their back was turned, one of the fallen cops pulls a gun out and aims at one of them that was closest to us.

 

My body seemed to have a mind of its own now. Like an idiot, I clambered towards a dead cop, took his gun and I tap the trigger.

 

I've never fired a gun before. Let alone held one. It was heavy and there was a jerk as I fired it. It was a lot more sensitive than I thought. I looked at the dead human in front of me and then at my terrified co-worker.

 

The masked man I saved stared in awe, as well as the others who heard the gunfire. I let go of the gun and it falls to the floor, the loud clatter echoing in the room as it hit the tiles.

 

“Wait, shit, I--”

 

I was cut off when sirens rung louder outside the bank and we could see all the cops outside, including the SWAT team.

 

I was suddenly snagged by the back of my neck and was met with the barrel of a gun. I was pushed to the front entrance and the man behind me yelled,

 

“Don’t come closer or she gets it!”

 

It was Vagabond.

 

I was about to retaliate and remind him of our deal when he roughly drags me along with him.

 

“Let go, asshole!” I squirmed in his hold. “Be quiet.” He says in a commanding tone.

 

I was dragged all the way to a van at the back of the bank. Vagabond pushes me in and as soon as everyone was on, the van zooms away.

 

“We had a deal! Where are you taking me?!”

 

Instead of answers, I felt something hard hit the back of my head and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update!!! A day late than I had originally planned but here it is anyway!
> 
>  
> 
> hmu on Tumblr: www.realfakevagabond.tumblr.com

I was awakened by light knocking. I forced my eyes open and saw an unfamiliar clock in front of me that read 1:46 pm. I wasn't in my room and this wasn't my home.

“Sorry, I had to knock you out.” A familiar voice says. “We didn't want you to see where we were headed.”

I sat up, not entirely surprised by the pain I felt on the back of my head, and I see Vagabond, arms crossed, standing by the foot of the bed I was in. The room looked simple and dim. There was not much in it other than the bed, a doorway to a bathroom, a desk, a bookshelf and a corner with a pc on it, that seemed to have a console as well.

“You broke the deal.”

“You didn't disable the alarms.”

“Touché.”

He shook his head and chuckled.

“Why did you guys even push through with it. I didn't exactly sound positive in the message I sent you.”

“We bet that you actually did do it. We were willing to take the risk. It was more fun that way.” He replied.

I shook my head. “We could all have died.” Vagabond shrugs.

“Come on out.” He gestures for me to follow him as he walked out. I hopped out of the bed and walked behind him, barefoot.

We reached a large living area with fancy lamps, a bar and couches. The five other guys sat comfortably, still wearing their masks. Their postures changed when they saw me. They all seemed a bit more cautious. What the hell was I going to do that could threaten them in any way? Break their expensive-looking coffee-table?

“Do any of you ever take your masks off?” I whispered to Vagabond. “No, it's sewn into our skin.” He replied.

“Nice job with the alarm.” The man in the suit said with clear sarcasm. I winced. “Sorry about that. I swear I tried though.”

“Yeah, we know.” The woman walked over to me and shows me her phone screen.

A headline of an article was on it.

‘Bank employee conspires with criminal gang, The Fakes’

My eyes grew wide. “What?! Someone must have seen me fire the gun.” I said, my voice shaking.

“Not exactly.” She scrolls down and shows me CCTV footage of me ripping out the wires from the security system. “No wonder the alarms were still up.” She said, a laugh repressed in her voice.

“That was so dumb. It's hilarious.” The shorter man snickered.

“You work there and you didn't know there was a camera watching you?” The man in a brown jacket, who sounded like boot guy, asked. I frowned, feeling embarrassed. “It slipped my mind. Rookie mistake.” Some of them couldn't help but giggle and shake their head.

“Why am I here?” I asked.

“Initially, the plan was to pretend to take you hostage until we could get away because there were too many cops already.” Suit guy says.

“But R… Vagabond here, insisted that we just take you here instead because someone might have seen you fire the gun. They would have killed you.” Boot guy continues. “We were gonna wait for news about the incident, to make sure you were clear, but saw that you were wanted anyway. So here we are…”

“You risked your name for us and you saved this idiot.” Suit guy gestures towards the man next to him. “Yeah, thanks for that. He could have bipped me hard.” The brit says and I smiled.

“We don't know what you wanna do now, but you're free to stay here, unless you have anywhere else to go. It's the least we could do. What's ours is yours.” The woman said again.

I blinked a couple of times trying to assess my situation. I'm wanted now so my place is probably raided by the police. No such thing as an ‘anywhere else’ in my book, therefore, I have nothing. I looked around at the masked people around me. Do I even have a choice?

A weak smile formed itself on my face. “Can I get the room I slept in?”

“That’s my room, but sure. I’m feeling generous enough to share.” Vagabond teased and I rolled my eyes. I was about to clap back when boot guy interrupts.

“Are you guys sure about this?”

The woman exchanged glances with Suit Guy. “Positive.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Yes, Jesus...” Suit Guy said, exasperated.

Boot guy shrugs and suddenly rips his mask off.

The rest of them stared.

“What? I can’t just wear the fucking thing forever. Damn.” He had curly brown hair, light skin and dark eyes under a pair of glasses. How he managed to keep them under the mask, I do not know.

The woman follows suit and takes hers off as well. Her short, wavy brown hair fell down from the mask. She had light make up on and her red lips caught my eye.

Everyone else didn't bother and just went along with it. I turned to look at Vagabond. He had gorgeous dim blue eyes, light brown hair that was swept back and woah, he was handsome. I realized I was staring so I looked away.

“You never told us your name.” The short guy said.

I frowned. “Not like you told me yours.”

He was about to retaliate when Suit Guy raises a hand. “It's okay. If she’s gonna be hanging around us for who knows how long, we're gonna have to trust each other. This is the first step.” The short guy drops his shoulders and nods.

He continues, “For starters, my name is Geoff. I call the shots in the crew. That's Michael, Jack, the short and bald one is  Jeremy, the british idiot you saved, Gavin,” he recited, pointing at each of the crew members. “and the psycho next to you is Ryan.” he finished and I tell them my name in return.

“So what, am I a freeloader here now?” I asked.

“Not so fast. We'll figure out how you can be of use to us. We owe you but we're also not a charity.” Geoff said, adjusting his tie.

“I'm fine with that. But just a heads up, I hope it's not gonna be housework.” I commented and Geoff smiled. “Go back to Ryan's room and give us time to discuss. Oh, and we're having McDonald’s for dinner later.”

I nod at Geoff and walk over to where the room was. Ryan follows me. “I’ll keep watch. To make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.” He says sounding a bit defensive.

“Take it easy there, Ryan. She's still out of it.” Michael teased. Gavin also found himself making a comment. “Don’t be too loud.”

Ryan sneers at them and they shut up, but the five all had stupid grins on their faces. I ignore it and went on ahead to the room.  
  


 

I could hear Ryan’s footsteps behind me until we got to his room. I turned to sit down on the bed and face him. “I hope your boss has an extra room for me.”

“I thought we were sharing?” Ryan said. I quirked a brow. “They’ll figure it out.” He shrugs and takes off his jacket. I stare at his torso, then his legs, then back up again to his neck, then his eyes… that were staring right back at me.

He smirks. “You’ve been staring at me a lot.”

“What of it?” I retorted back, blushing. Didn't think he would notice. “Shouldn’t you be out there discussing shit with them?” He didn’t reply and just shrugged again.

I didn’t say anything else. The reality of my situation starts to creep up on me and I feel a heavy weight on my chest. I kept my gaze low on the floor.

“Wow, I just realized, I can’t live a normal life anymore. I’m gonna have to go into hiding forever…” I trailed off. Ryan walks over and sits next to me.

“Are you scared?” His voice was low and calming. I shook my head. “I’m not. At least, I don’t think I am.”

He was silent, but I knew he was listening. “My life’s always been tragically normal, but it’s not like I wasn’t happy. I had friends of course and I’m sad that I can’t go back to that life anymore. Ever.”

Ryan kept his gaze on me as I paused. “Maybe I just feel this way because I don’t really have a life to leave behind. Though living a normal life still beats being a criminal on the run.” I felt like I should be crying but I can’t. I exhaled heavily in hopes of feeling better.

“I’m probably just anxious about what’ll happen to me. And a little bit worried about getting caught.” I chuckled.

“I wouldn’t think about that too much. The cops here suck. You’ll be okay. Besides, we got your back, alright?” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks.” I smiled at him.

“So...Your name is Ryan, huh?” I looked at him and a smile pulls on his lips. “Where did Vagabond come from? Do all of you have codenames like that?”

He shook his head, still grinning. “No, I… It’s the name I use for when I get outside calls. You know, hit jobs. It’s an alias to protect the crew since I’m the only one who makes deals outside. The guys sometimes like using code names for some of our heists though. They’re a bunch of idiots. You shouldn’t be scared of them.”

“I’m not. What about you? Should I be scared?”

He huffs out a laugh. “So about that night…” Ryan changes the subject. “I just realized you threw a lamp at me.”

“Was I supposed to apologize for that?”

“No, but damn, you threw a lamp at THE Vagabond. That’s really something.” He said, seemingly impressed.

“Well, I didn’t know who you were, you dick. Plus, anyone would freak out if some stranger just busts in through their window.”

“I’m not apologizing for that either. Thanks for helping me out that night, by the way.”

“You’re welcome but please don’t make me do that again.”

He pursed his lips. “I don’t know if I can promise you that.” I lightly hit his arm and he grins. “How is it?”

“It’s still a hole in me, no big deal. It was just an unfortunate situation. I rarely get shot.” He said proudly and I grimaced.

“Mind if I shower? It’ll help me relax.” I asked pointing my thumb towards the bathroom.

Ryan affirmed. I stared at him, waiting. But he just looked back, clueless.

“Can you leave the room?”

“Can’t I stay?”

“Ryan.”

He sighed and hopped off the bed. “I’ll come back in an hour or something. I’ll ask Jack if she can lend you some clothes.” He waved his hand, and shut the door.

 

I breathed out once more to get rid of the tension in my nerves. The silence in the room was calming. I walk over to the bathroom and turn on the light.

The warm water of the shower felt comforting, like a warm hug. For a moment, I didn’t worry or think about my current predicament.

I stare at the dark tiled walls of the shower. My life basically depended on these strangers who I may or may not still be skeptical about. Though surprisingly they seemed quick to trust me and it makes me wonder why. I’ve heard of them before. They weren’t anything new to me but I am a bit in disbelief that The Fakes were not as threatening as media made them out to be. I mean, sure they were criminals, killed a ton of civilians and cops, stole a lot of money and property…

 

Okay, yeah, they're pretty bad. But seeing how they actually were doesn’t really compare to how people see them. I’m sure there’s more to them than they’re letting off.

 

Especially Ryan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next update will be coming up as soon as I finish proof reading all the chapters i've written so far


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: realfakevagabond  
> https:\\\realfakevagabond.tumblr.com
> 
> Update!! Late as usual, but I do what I can.  
> Work's been busy so uodates will take some time.
> 
> ///ps. I 100% sleep with a knife near me and I do own a few bc I'm really really really paranoid and idk if it's a problem or not

I hop out of the shower after some time, refreshed. I’ve gone back to the bedroom and look at the uniform I took off.

I sighed remembering everything that happened. I felt a sense of relief though that I don’t have to put the stupid thing on anymore. I start to fold it, thinking of how I can properly discard it without a trace, when I felt something in my pocket.

It was the burner phone. It completely slipped my mind that I had this. It's fortunate that I didn't drop it or anything. It could've led the cops to this place. Wherever this is. I put it down for now and figured I could just ask The Fakes what to do with it.

As I was taking my time drying my skin and hair, there was a knock on the door. I swiftly wrapped the towel around my torso.

“Ryan?” I called out.

“No, it’s Jack. I got you some clothes.” Her soothing voice came from the opposite side of the door and I tell her to come in.

“I’m not sure if we’re the same size but these might fit you. Just pick out what you wanna wear.” she set down a stack of clothing on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“I'm okay. I'm sorry for all this. I feel like I'm being a burden.” I said in an apologetic tone.

Jack smiled and brushes some stray hair over her ear. “This must all be too much for you though. As a fellow woman, I'll be here if you wanna talk, alright?”

We smiled at each other, making me feel relieved.

“Thanks.” I said. “What did you guys decide on, by the way? What will happen to me?”

Jack froze and looked a bit lost. “Uh, I think it's better if we all spoke to you together. Just come on down after you get ready. The food's here.”

I nod and Jack leaves me to getting dressed.

Thankfully, Jack had great taste in clothing. Maybe it was our “Fem-connection” or pure luck. Jack left me a pair of shorts, pants, two shirts and a pair of black boots. They were much like what I always wore when I went out so I’m very comfortable with these.

I slipped on a grey shirt, dark jeans and shoved my feet in the boots, not minding that everything was a bit loose and ignoring some of the stains on the shoes that looked like dried blood.

Finally, I felt a bit normal. But nothing was normal about what was happening to me now.

I check myself out on the mirror. Looking presentable, I leave the bedroom after folding the spare clothes, taking the burner phone and hanging the towel I used back on its rack, like the considerate guest I am.

 

Just as Geoff said, they ordered McDonald’s for dinner. The food was spread on the coffee table and they were already eating when I got there.

Gavin waved a hand, gesturing for me to come closer. I walked over and Ryan hands me a Big Mac. We sat down next to each other on the couch.

“So…” I begin before taking a huge bite off my burger, realizing how hungry I was.

Geoff cleared his throat and exchanged glances with Jack.

“Yeah, so… You ever killed anyone before?”

My eyes widen and I almost get a chunk of bread in my lung. “Ask that again, but slower.”

“Just answer.” Ryan nudged me impatiently.

I swallowed the food I had left in my mouth. “Once. Back at the bank.”

“Ooh… Damn.” Jeremy goes. I felt cautious and looked around the room. “Why?”

“Was that also the first time you've fired a gun? Ever stabbed someone before? Or at least fantasized about it?” Geoff went on.

“Woah, woah, woah. Yes, no and I don't think so.” I thought of the few knives I owned. They were for protection, alright? 

“I’d say she's perfect.” Gavin said and Michael nodded. I sat there silent but visibly confused.

“Can you drive?” Jack asked and I nodded, reluctant. “What the hell is going on here?”

“We were thinking of taking you in as a member of the crew.” Michael says not hesitating but quickly shoved a chicken nugget in his mouth, as if trying to cover what he said.

I reacted in a cartoonish way, rattling my head side to side. “Are you guys insane? Do I  _ look  _ like I could survive out there?”

I pointed at myself head to toe for emphasis.

“What, did you think we all started off as experts? Did you think that was the first time Gavin almost died? Or any of us did?” Geoff says.

No, of course not, I thought, but didn't answer Geoff.

“It’s not like you have a choice either.” Gavin chimes in. “You’re kinda stuck with us.”

I looked over to Ryan who was busy eating next to me.

“Better than being a freeloader. We could use the extra pair of hands too.” Ryan says after taking a sip of his drink.

I bit my lip. “This is all too much. I'll either get shot and die within five minutes or just be a weight to carry until I get shot and die.”

“That’s not a problem for us. We keep each other alive as much as we can but if it can’t be helped and one of us bites the dust, then that’s unfortunate.” Geoff explained, not a hint of remorse.

All the tension I managed to get rid of came rushing back into my bones. My knees shook and my breathing became erratic. Was I scared? Maybe. Is there another option? No.

“Can you guys at least teach me how to… do all this?” I gazed at the soda in front of me. “Can we extend my lifespan to a couple of weeks tops?”

Jeremy snorted. “Sure, why not. Just don’t think too much about it. You’ll be okay.”

“We all went into this lifestyle knowing how dangerous it's going to be. Well, if i'm being honest, we didn't figure it out until our third heist together.” Geoff grimaced and the crew shivered and frowned at the memory.

I'm curious about ‘the third heist’ but didn't bother to ask.

I sighed. “Whatever. Fuck it. I'm in.” Geoff smiled and Gavin squeaked.

“Oh, uhm…” I reach into my pocket and take out the burner phone. “What do I do with this?” I ask.

Jeremy extends his hand and takes it from me. He examines it closely and unexpectedly, he chucks it over to a wall, smashing it to pieces.

I flinch in shock as he did it. The crew laughed out loud and I just looked around, weirded out, but found myself laughing too.

“Aww man, Lil J, we could have smashed it with the mallet instead!” Gavin says.

“Or blew it up in Gavin's room.” Michael threw his hands up. “Michael, no!” Gavin yelled.

“Now I'm in the mood to blow up Gavin's room.” Jeremy says. “Oh, but wait, we got something to do tomorrow, don’t we?”

Ryan nods after collecting himself. “Should we bring her in with us?”

“Bring me in for what?” I asked.

“Your first heist.” Gavin spoke with an excited tone.

All the blood in my body ran cold.

“Are you fucking serious? You can't just put me out there so soon! What happened to showing me the ropes?!” I stood from my seat, retaliating much more vocally this time.

“Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree. Maybe we can just have her watch from a safe distance?” Geoff reasoned out.

“I guess so.” Gavin said, sounding disappointed. “It would’ve been top though.”

“What are you guys going to do anyway?”

“We’re gonna nick a jewelry store.” Michael said enthusiastically.

“We’ll have you stationed at a building nearby or something. You'll be okay.” Jack assured.

“We’ll give you your own phone and all the shit you need so we can all talk to you. Keep a look out for cops as well.” Michael says.

“This is actually happening.” I mumbled, staring blankly.

Ryan hummed. Gavin made a strange high-pitched noise again. “Aww, this is so cute! She's like our little intern!”

“You don't normally put out interns in robberies.” I said under my breath.

Ryan cleared his throat. “We should discuss the details of the heist again, just so she can understand the flow and how all this works.”

The other guys nodded. “To the secret meeting room!” Gavin yelled and everyone else stood up. I follow suit and walked behind the group.

Geoff stops and looks at me. I halt when he extends a hand.

“Welcome to The Fakes.”

 

My head told me that I should run while I can, but I shook his hand anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

I wish I could say that the ‘little gathering’ was all a blur, but I found myself actually paying attention to how things are gonna unfold tomorrow.

I didn't nod off like I sometimes did when I was still a student but I guess this is normal when your life was on the line.

The guys were going off to do their thing and they had me stationed at a nearby office building in the same street. I have no idea how they'll get me there but it seems to me like they got it all figured out. They were professionals after all. Or at least they looked like it.

Michael Gavin and Geoff are gonna go in the store to loot, Jeremy and Ryan will cover the front while Jack will cover the back and will be with the escape vehicle. They also mentioned a couple of back up plans but didn't bother discussing it because they're “sure everything will go smoothly.”

“So here,” Geoff takes a box from a shelf in the room. “is your super high-tech comm link.” He shuffles his hand inside, occasionally taking a phone out to press a button and then putting it back.

“It’s a  Samsung Corby .” I stated as Geoff finally selects one out.

I take the phone from his hand. “I forgot where that came from, probably from a dead body."

"What."

"None of us use android or whatever the fuck that thing runs on, but hey, it still works. We'll set it up for you.” He brushes off the dead body part and closes the box before he tossed it back carelessly.

Jack got up from her seat. “Rest up. You have a big day tomorrow.”

I reluctantly nod. “Where can I stay, by the way?”

Geoff furrowed his brows and brought his closed fist to his chin. “Hmm… We can probably clear out a room for you, but it’ll take some time since we’re busy… and can't be bothered at the moment. We don't always stay here since we have our own places anyway. This is sort of like our headquarters.”

“You can stay in my room tonight,” Ryan says, to which I returned a suspecting look.

“Relax, I’ll sleep on the couch.” He raised his hands in front of him. “Aww, what a gentleman!” Gavin cooed.

“Dude, you don't have to do that, I can take the couch.”

“Come on, just take the bed. It's fine.” Ryan answered back.

“No, no, it's alright, I swear. The couch looks comfortable and I'll be happy to take it.” I insisted.   
  


This went on until Geoff proposed that we settle it by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors, which I won. Hey, it took no skill. Just luck. Besides, winning the game was just as hard as losing it.

I happily took the couch. I didn't want anyone sacrificing anything for me. I felt bad enough that they got stuck with my shit.

The couch was just as comfortable as I thought. I shifted a couple of times every few minutes.

No, the cushions are divine. Better than my old bed. It was my anxiety that kept me awake. My thoughts danced around in a fit of chaos, refusing to let me doze off with a clear head.

 

At some point I stood up, stretched and walked out to the balcony. The cool air brushed against my skin almost painfully until I felt numb. I let the wind mess up my already messy hair and I just breathe it all in.

I don't remember how I got back inside, but I guess at some point, exhaustion caught up with this lil runaway and I gravitate towards the couch.

Finally, I fall asleep.

  
  


“She’s still here. You owe me 10 bucks.” Michael's voice sent a rush in my veins and I jolt awake.

I blinked until my vision adjusted to the bright light. My heart calmed down as soon as I remembered why a man's voice would be present.

I’m not alone. This isn't my home.

I reached for my phone to check the time until I remembered I have nothing. It was a bit past 9 am according to the digital clock next to the box of ammunition on the coffee table that I didn't notice last night.

I see Michael and Gavin walking to the kitchen. Soon enough, Jeremy trails behind gesturing for me to come over. I stretched my sleepy limbs and follow them.

Gavin sat on the island with Michael next to him leaning on it. Jeremy was by the fridge chugging a bottle of beer.

“Isn’t it a bit early for that?” I pointed at the bottle. Jeremy looks at me, then at the bottle, then back at me. "It's 5 pm somewhere." He shrugs and closes the fridge.

“Do you cook? I'm hungry…” Gavin trailed off. I shook my head. “Not exactly. I can fry eggs?”

“It’s fine, we'll just wait for Jack, Geoff or Ryan.” Jeremy said before gulping down his bottle of alcohol.

I pursed my lips and nodded. “How long did you work at the bank?” Gavin asked.

“10 months. 11 in two weeks if it weren't for… you know, masked men that somehow dragged me into their club.” Gavin lets out a hearty laugh.

“Hey, you never know, this may be your true calling.” Michael shrugged.

“What did you do before that?” Jeremy followed up.

“I was a tutor and a store clerk. What’s with the questions?”

“We’re kinda stuck with one another so might as well get to know you, right?” Jeremy drinks some beer again.

“There’s really not much to know. Oh, but… uh, I gotta ask… What on earth made you guys trust me so easily?” I pursed my lips.

The three just looked at me but I felt like they spoke telepathically in that short moment.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but it's not you. It's Ryan.” Jeremy says.

Michael nodded slowly. “We’ve been at this for a long time. Known each other for quite a while. Ryan's got good judgment and it’s honestly hard to get him to trust people. We've worked with other crews and shit wouldn’t go so smooth because he'd refuse to let his guard down.”

“But he’s okay with you.” Gavin smiled faintly. “This was the first time he's ever offered to bring anyone back in the penthouse.”

“I see. So does that mean I get to ask you questions too?”

“You can but we won’t answer much.” Gavin shrugs.

“You’re still being tested, but it's because of Ryan why we're not too worried.” Jeremy added.

“I heard my name, what's going on?”

All four of us turn our attention to Ryan, who just entered, scratching his unkempt and messy hair.

“We were just talking about how much we love you.” Gavin says, shooting a glance my way.

Ryan mutters a ‘whatever’ and takes a pan from the cupboards.

The Lads, as I’ve found out in the meeting is what their specific team is called, with the remaining three being The Gents, took it as a signal to evacuate. I follow suit as Ryan puts an apron on. Big scary criminal, puts on a pastel green apron, now that’s adorable.

We find Geoff lounging on the couches, holding up a newspaper. The four of us walk over and sit by him.

“Check this out. The idiots still can’t find us and they’re getting desperate.” He chortled, facing the paper our way. The headline read ‘Reward for The Fakes, doubled.’

“Shit, shit!” Geoff’s glee was interrupted by panicked cursing that came from the kitchen. Before any of us could stand to check it out, Jack runs to its source with an extinguisher.

“Ryan!” She hollered, followed by her own set of cursing, that was immediately rebutted by Ryan defending himself.

“Are you guys okay?” I couldn’t help but ask. Jack and Ryan emerge from the kitchen.

“This idiot, with years of experience cooking, almost burned this place down. Again.”

“It was just the mit!”

“This is the third time this month, Ryan!”

Geoff, Michael, Gavin and Jeremy couldn’t help themselves and burst out in laughter. I completely lost it myself when I heard ‘third.’   
  


 

After a short rant from Jack, we were served a breakfast of eggs and pancakes, which survived Ryan’s arson accident.

When we’ve all had our fill, we headed down to a garage that had the vehicle we were going to use to get to the target.

The lot was huge and had a couple of cars and bikes. I’m not surprised that they could afford all these. I followed The Fakes to their chosen ride. The vehicle looked really clean and flawless but I'm sure it's been through some shit. It had a green star logo on the hood and it’s just enough to fit all of us.   
  


 

After a 30-minute drive, which we spent talking about which fast food has the best fries, the pre-heist preparation was in progress.

We ditch the vehicle in a lot four blocks away from the target. Ryan volunteers to bring me to my station and after orienting me about our communication system, which is just a small bluetooth earpiece connected to our phones, the others head off on their own.

Ryan and I did our best to blend in and be nonchalant. It was easy enough. The streets were busy and no one really had the time to care.

I should be panicking right now, but I felt fine. Why? Who knows. Maybe Michael is right. This could be my true calling.

**Author's Note:**

> reach out to me!
> 
> Tumblr: realfakevagabond
> 
> ///pls i need friends who like AH


End file.
